Information provided in a vehicle compartment is various. For example, the information includes vehicle states such as a vehicle speed, an engine speed, a shift position, fuel, and water temperature. Additionally, the information includes a map for navigation, air conditioner setting information, and audio information, for example. In recent years, the information such as night views for driving assistance, information about a mobile terminal carried into the vehicle, or the like is provided.
Various display apparatuses are mounted to provide these kinds of information. The display apparatuses include a head-up display and a liquid crystal display to display a map for navigation. Some types of meter panels for displaying vehicle speed and the like use liquid crystal displays to provide varieties of information and are categorized as the display apparatuses.
In Patent Document 1, based on an instruction from a user, it is determined which content should be displayed on which area of the display. Specifically, a particular content is fixedly assigned to a predetermined area. Priorities are assigned to areas other than this predetermined area. When a new content is assigned to a certain area having the priority by a user's drag operation for example, the content originally assigned to the certain area is assigned to a different area having a highest priority among the remaining areas. In a similar way, the content originally assigned to the different area is assigned to an area having a highest priority among the remaining areas. Accordingly, a content originally assigned to an area having a lowest priority is deleted.
In a display apparatus for a vehicle, display may switch from car navigation map to audio information and may switch from audio information to a back monitor capturing image or to an incoming call of handsfree phone.
For example, during the display of “map” content for navigation on a display apparatus, a request to display another content such as “audio information”, “back monitor”, “incoming call information” or the like may be generated.
In this case, in some situations, “late-come-win” (preferentially displaying a later display request) may be preferable. In other situations, “first-come-win” (giving priority to an earlier display request) may be preferable. The content to be displayed varies from situation to situation.
However, Patent Document 1 in principle adopts “late-corn-win” based on the instruction from a user, and thus, situation-adapted display cannot be provided.
In this regard, a method of matrixing of situation-adapted display transitions may be a conceivable method. For example, a management table indicating that when a request to display “back monitor” content is generated during the display of “map” content, the priority is given to “back monitor” content. This kind of management table may determine the “later-come-win” and “first-come-win”.
However, as the total number of contents (display screen) is larger, the management table is complicated and its amount of information is huge.